Could “Social Media Distancing” be good for us?

I don’t know about you, but I feel extremely lucky to live in a time where connecting with others is so easy! We are living remotely, yet with one click we are connected face to face with our work colleagues, friends and loved ones! Social media can reassure us; a newsfeed keeps us updated to the latest gossip and opinions about what’s happening in the world. While other platforms can be used to inform us on how to keep on top of business during these unprecedented times.

Now more than ever it is easy to fall into a trap of obsessively checking newsfeeds… Whether you’re anxiously waiting for updates or news from a loved one, it can be difficult to break the routine of swapping from app to app, and actually spend your time on yourself!

While these incredible advances in technology are helping to ease the remoteness of lockdown, allowing us to continue work and keep in touch with loved ones. They can also hinder us, by swallowing time, which can create feelings of being overwhelmed or anxiety. We need to stay connected with people, news, and information, yet it is so easy to get hooked into the virtual world and get “locked-in”! You may tell yourself, “I’ll take a quick peek” then the next thing you know you’ve spent hours in the virtual world of cat videos, crafting tutorials and opinion polls… Where did the time go? And how did you find yourself “locked-in?”.

Certainly, in Lockdown, many of us are enjoying getting some time back… For me and millions of others, many hours were spent commuting each week, whether to work or school, equalling ‘lost time’! Now that we have been gifted with this precious time back it can be difficult to prioritise what to spend it on! It is not to say that we shouldn’t be touching base with our devices or social media, instead of that, now is the time to be mindful and practice a new way to create a better balance to our life.

This could be the time to consider “social media distancing” spend less time on social media grazing and gazing, to gift time back to yourself!

One way I am spending my “gifted time” is by revisiting books on my bookshelves. Being reacquainted with a much-loved book or reading a new book feels joyous and heart-warming, like being amongst good friends! This time has given me (and my books!) a new lease of life! A desire to learn new things and become more creative! It is absolutely wonderful and eye-opening to what else I am able to explore in this time that in return can give me hope, confidence, courage, and fun!

When we can start our ‘new normal, I will look back to these lockdown days knowing, that I learned how to use my time wisely. And in return distance myself from the distractions that were very easy to get involved with! However, you decide to spend your time during the lockdown make sure you spend your time on whatever makes you happy!